To continue with our series on job seekers getting jobs through social media, I would like to introduce you to Mark Cummuta. I found Mark via Twitter and found out subsequently that he received his latest job offer because of Twitter. Coincidence? I think not!
What’s your background and how did you first get started with Social Media?
I’ve been in IT product development and international business process improvement for almost 25 (twenty-five) years. I’ve been using Social Media for almost 10 years. Back in 2000-2003 I helped create the underlying technology for systems like Skype, WebEx & GoToMeeting when I was CTO & VP of R&D for a company called I-DEP. [After Microsoft, Real Media and Apple all told us it would be impossible.] We created video chat, chat rooms, private chat within group chats, whiteboarding, file sharing and more. So I’ve been a long-time believer in Social Media and Social Networking, especially as a means to improve business efficiencies, collaboration and communications.
When you first heard about Twitter, what were you initial thoughts about the service?
When I first heard of Twitter I thought it was just another IM (instant messaging) service.
When was the first time you actually used Twitter and why?
I created my first Twitter account in late 2008. For the first several weeks I simply watched, researched and learned. I then decided what voice and subjects I wanted to tweet about. Specifically, I decided I would tweet on CIO/CTO, IT, Six Sigma, BPM, ITIL, SMB, startups, executive job search strategies and US defense topics. I also thought ahead and created Twitter accounts for other aspects of my business.
Now you were able to get a job through Twitter, which is amazing. How did you come upon this job opportunity and how long did it take for you to get hired?
Yes, I landed my job as CIO (Chief Information Officer) for JobAngels through Twitter. I write / blog for CIO Magazine on executive job search strategies from a first person CIO’s perspective, so I frequently tweet about this subject and post my blogs to Twitter, as well. The CMO (Chief Marketing Officer) of JobAngels, Charee Klimek, started following me and commenting/retweeting my tweets. We eventually met in person, and she introduced me to Mark Stelzner the Founder of JobAngels. I think the whole process, from initial introductions between Charee and I, to me starting with JobAngels probably took about 4-6 weeks.
In your current job, do you use Twitter for businesses purposes and has this changed your perspective of Twitter based on your initial reactions to it?
I wear several hats — the CIO of JobAngels, the President of Triumph CIO Group, a writer and blogger for CIO Magazine, and as a leader for several national and regional IT groups and TLA Evening Session. For each of these roles I use Twitter to connect with other leaders in each of these spaces, to communicate with others, and to learn and share knowledge. As I’ve used Twitter more, I’ve realized its potential as another means of not only connecting, communicating and learning, but also for marketing, sales and branding opportunities.
So what is JobAngels? And how has Social Media – especially Twitter – helped you in your role there?
JobAngels is a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to helping job seekers find meaningful and financially rewarding employment – one person at a time. We do that through our over 24,000 mentors nationwide, and even internationally now. Each of our mentors has agreed to helping at least one person in their goal of finding a new job, primarily by assisting them with things like resume reviews, interviewing tips and practice, networking strategies and assistance, etc. So while we are not a placement, search or temp service, rather what we provide is training in job search skills from both experts and every day people like you and me who want to help.
As for how Social Media and Twitter help me in this role, I am able to connect with and communicate with thousands of JobAngels mentors, job seekers, hiring managers, recruiters and HR specialists. Because of how Twitter is structured, I am able to communicate directly with interested individuals and organizations, with minimal interference and disruption. Across a broader scale, JobAngels has a presence on LinkedIn, FaceBook, and on the internet itself as JobAngels (we hope to have our all new website out very soon), which we use to reach an even wider variety of markets.
Closing Thoughts
As you can see from this story, Mark got his job using social media because of his proactive attitude to get involved and provoke thought. This opened numerous possibilities for him when he started to interact with other professional in his industry and specific niche. While a lot of what Mark touched on may seem daunting, it was a process that took place over time as he had to prove himself to the outside world. I hope that this encourages everyone to start being proactive today and to get more involved! There are job opportunities everywhere, you just have to make sure you are looking in the right places and connecting with the right people.
If you have any questions for Mark about his story to clarify any part of it, please leave a comment below and we can talk!
